


You are a irken wonder, Dib.

by Manisha_Walletje



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Dib Has Issues (Invader Zim), Dib is Of Legal Age (Invader Zim), Dib is So Done (Invader Zim), Fluff and Angst, Irken Empire (Invader Zim), M/M, No Smut, Older Dib (Invader Zim), Sad, Tags May Change, Zim Being an Asshole (Invader Zim), Zim is Bad at Feelings (Invader Zim)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29685657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manisha_Walletje/pseuds/Manisha_Walletje
Summary: Zim kidnaps Dib and blows up earth, Dib is now the only human, and his world gets turned upside down when he has to become a part of the irken race. Contains alot of angst and sad stuff.
Relationships: Dib & Zim (Invader Zim), Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 26





	1. How did I let this all happen..?

“How could I have let this happen..” Dib thought to himself, he had lost everything, he lost his dad, Gaz, earth.. and why? Because of that asshole, Zim. What had happened was that while Dib was sick, Zim made a machine that could blow up the entirety of earth. Zim kidnapped Dib while he was still sick, and took the human onto his vootcruiser. Zim then healed up Dib which was- nice- he guessed..but the reason Zim did it was so Dib’s vision wasn’t blurry while Zim activated the device.

Dib had been restrained while it happened..seeing the entire planet explode into itty bitty pieces…and the worst thing was that Dib was sick, and that’s how Zim was able to explode earth. During the blowing up of the planet Zim had recorded it, then sent it to his superiorities, the Tallests. All Dib could think was, where his dad would be now, why Zim kept Dib alive. Why. Dib was constantly held in his own thoughts, whenever Dib would try walking to Zim to attack the alien, a PAK leg would shove out of the egg looking machine. So all Dib did was sit on the ground, hugging his legs, and think about all the things he did wrong.

Zim suddenly spoke after about 2, or maybe 5? No 6 hours. Zim turned his head to Dib as he rasped out “I’m taking you to the massive.” As Zim smiled but Dib was just confused, angry. “Why?” Was all Dib could say to the maniacal irken. “Didn’t you send a voice message to your tall assholes that you’d..kill me?” Dib kind of shivered at the last words, seeing his planet blow up had made him extremely horrified, Zim was a dumbass and Dib thought he wouldn’t actually be able to take over earth. But he had done it, so now Dib didn’t know what to think or do, because now all he thought about Zim was confused rambles in his brain.

“I don’t think you know but I couldn’t actually ever kill you, you’re too incredible, you’d be a great irken if you wanted to y’know be one.” Zim didn’t lie about this, Zim knew Dib had grown, Dib had started training his worm body more, now if Dib pulled a punch on Zim he could actually do real damage. Dib was now even more angry, as he growled “What the hell do you mean with that?!” as Zim smiled, and said “I kept you alive to become a irken, I will make a disguise for you, a pak, and amaAAazing irken knowledge..” Zim waved his arms out at the last sentence, every movement Zim did would make the human flinch. “So what you just expect me to be okay with that?!” “would you rather have been blown up, like the other hyoomans? Or maybe cut open for research on irk?” Dib hissed, and Zim immediately snapped back at Dib. Dib kept quiet for a moment as he looked at the floor

Zim looked at Dib as his face flashed to a sort of sadness, as he loudly said “You’re quiet again? Oh come onnn, being irken is very amazing! Atleast be happy I kept you alive, healed you while your stupid hyooman body was all floppy and stinky!” Dib’s eyes closed for a second at the loud talking of the horrifying irken “I don’t..I-..I don’t want to even be near you..I hate you…” Dib said softly as Zim’s antennae went down slightly, was he angry? Sad? Whenever Zim’s antennae went down Dib knew that it was one of those..maybe he was in pain? No he couldn’t be. 

“You…” Zim started “I..” “Uhhh..” Zim stumbled over his words, he didn’t know what to say, what would he even HAVE to say? In reality Zim felt a bit bad, which his PAK would normally punish him for, but Zim’s PAK kept being more..strange- filled with stupid feelings. “Dib I- you should be happy because uh- the armada will be happy with you!” The irken smiled brightly, to which Dib looked away from Zim.

“Okaaay..look I’ll put a self made PAK on your back later today, don’t try to resist, it’ll only make it hurt.” Zim said softly to Dib as Dib shuddered, his eyes wide open from the words. Zim was going to do this..shit...shit! Zim walked away then, as he sat back in his seat where Gir was playing a old earth video game, and the robot screeched whenever he’d shoot a zombie’s head off. It was a game that Gaz plays- used to, used to play. The sounds of the game hurt Dib’s brain, Gaz was definitely dead, god why, why, why. Why did Dib ever let this fucking happen..

Dib then stood up and ran to the restroom, Zim had pointed out all the rooms after earth was blown up. It was good that Zim had installed a restroom, because otherwise Dib had emptied his stomach and sadness on the ground, instead letting it out in the toilet, gagging over and over when he was done, heaving. Dib then choked on a sob, as his tears fell into the bowl aswell. It all just, hurt, Gaz was gone. Gaz would never ever come back. Dib was a terrible brother, maybe if Dib had been a better brother, then Gaz wouldn’t be dead now.

For hours Dib hid in the restroom, he’d flushed the toilet and his contents ofcourse. But Dib didn’t have the balls to hear the noises of that game again, just because it reminded him too much of his sister. Dib had almost fallen asleep on the floor of the tiny restroom, until Zim had rattled against the metal handle of the restroom “Dib-thing, come on. You’ve been in this emptying room for hours!” “Restroom.” “You know what I mean!” they spoke. As Dib choked on a slight sob again, the thoughts of his sister coming back for a second, it made him break. “Ugh, okay! I’m opening the door then!” Zim hissed out as Dib heard multiple beeps and he held his face “Don’t!-“ Dib mewled out before the door unlocked, and Zim looked right at Dib’s sobbing body. Zim’s antennae immediately flicked downwards

“You look so pathetic like this..” Zim softly said as Dib hiccuped and he scratched slightly at his own face, to try to both hurt himself, and wipe the tears away. Which Zim almost screeched at, as he ran to the human, and forcibly grabbed Dib’s wrists. Yanking the nails away from Dib’s now red face, the nails not being sharp enough to cut through the skin. “Stop!” Zim hissed, as Dib struggled “Let go! Let me go!!” Dib cried out, as his mind flickered to the thought of earth blowing up again. Dib’s tears flooded out of his ducts, honestly his head started hurting by now, the crying made him feel stings in his skull. 

“Why do you want to hurt yourself?!” Zim growled out as his antennae went upwards, and his voice kind of broke out angrily. Dib’s body shivered at the growl as he squeaked, like a scared mouse. “Because I HATE you!” As Zim growled and said “Then why are you hurting yourself?!” And Dib stopped struggling, he had a point..honestly Dib hurt himself because he was responsible for the end of the earth, but Zim was REALLY to blame, Dib then balled his hands up into fists, jerking out of Zim’s hold and painfully punching Zim right in the jaw. Zim spat out a piece of tongue at this, as Zim held his mouth, grumbling before seeing Dib ready to throw another punch as the alien screeched. Dib indeed punched once more, but didn’t give Zim time to even open his eyes after it. Grabbing the irken’s head as he slammed it against the metallic floor, slamming the irken’s head into the ground, which made Zim groan out over and over, before his PAK reacted to the pain and pushed Dib off with the PAK legs. Dib’s back slammed against the wall at that action as tubes then shoved themselves out of the machine, and kept Dib pinned there, Dib was struggling, and then shouted “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” As Zim slowly got up before saying “You- you hyoomans..are such a damn pain…” his tongue had already grown back- as Zim crunched the old tongue under his glossy boot. “Cruise computerr! Clean that severed piece off my beautiful voot’s floor!” as the voot’s computer grumbled and said “Yes sir.” As Zim then walked out of the restroom, while his PAK tubes held the human up. As Dib finally gave up the struggle, and he was just limply held up.

“Why, why did you do it..?” Dib whispered out as Zim said “Why does anyone do anything? To please their authorities, their friends, everyone. Was that not why you were trying to show that I was an alien?” Zim’s face slightly turned to look at Dib, the human then breathed in before sobbing again, as Zim let him go and turned his head away “Your crying hurts my antennae, you may cry for 5 more minutes, then you must stop. I don’t wish for my superior irken body to be broken from your stupid noises.” In reality Dib’s crying was going to eventually make Zim cry, in the restroom when Zim’s voice broke into anger he had almost cried, irkens never cry. It’s weak. Stupid. Repulsive…

Zim would do the PAK installing tomorrow instead, he felt bad for the human.


	2. Don't put that thing on my back, please.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dib has to wake up to get a PAK, meanwhile Zim is trying to understand how Dib feels.

Dib had been sleeping for hours in the bedroom, why was he taking so long? It was irritating to Zim. “Is he..still asleep?” Zim whispered to himself, his antennae moving, trying to hear if Dib was making any movements. Nothing but breathing. Zim sighed as he looked around, space was so endless, sometimes it was so boring, especially on trips like these. They had only been in space for two days and Zim was already so tired. That was- rather bad news. They still had like 6 months left of travel, which was gonna take a while. Zim thought. But soon thinking became just a garbled mess, this ship was boring. He had forgotten how tiring the trip to earth and back was, well atleast Gir wasn’t singing that stupid song this time. If he’d start Zim would really not make it, its so irkin annoying. 

Ugh he was done, he was done just sitting in the cruiser’s control seat. So the irken stood up, stretched, and then walked to the restroom. He hasn’t entered it since yesterday, not that he didn’t want to but uh- yeah he didn’t want to, he’d admit to that. Zim felt incredibly bad, mostly because Zim had made the human so upset that Dib lashed out and well- if he didn’t have the PAK- would have had his brains splattered on that floor. Zim slowly huffed out before opening the door, looking at the walls and the floor, his tongue was ofcourse cleaned up from yesterday. It looked clean, it kinda made Zim angry, he didn’t know why, but he just is. Dib did so much to try and stop Zim, but just like the clean restroom, it felt like nothing had ever happened. Zim then closed his eyes as he slumped against the wall and slowly slid down, now he was sitting on the same place Dib had yesterday, Zim tried imagining how Dib felt. Losing everything you cared about- uhh..his tallests would be a good substitute for that. Uhhh losing Earth, Irk then. Losing all the stuff you owned, his voot cruiser.

Okay, Zim’s PAK flickered a bit as Zim’s brain imagined a scenario. A rebel irken kills the tallests, then..takes Zim on a voot that isn’t his, makes Zim watch Irk blow up before his very eyes..he didn’t feel any emotions at these things- Why was he doing this actually? “This is stupid.” Zim hissed to himself, as he opened his eyes, and the scenario in his head vanished. “Why am I doing this, to feel even worse? Its stupid. I’m going to wake Dib up.” Zim grumbled, as he heaved himself up and left the restroom feeling kind of empty. Closing the door and turning to Dib’s room, putting a antennae up to the door he heard soft snores. Zim’s body stiffened, he kept listening to the snores..its so calm. “Stupid soft hyooman..with his weird snorey noises…” Zim softly whispered to himself, before opening the door as quietly as possible, He peeked in and saw Dib sleeping in the bed soundly, the room was dark but there was a window to space, Dib looked- kind of cute. 

NO. Zim then opened up the door fully, the voot’s lights blaring into the room. Dib immediately shifted, as he grumbled, and pulled the bedsheets up to his face. “Wake up.” Zim grumbled out to Dib, who didn’t respond. “Wake up!” Zim hissed out a bit louder, it visibly made Dib flinch, so Zim’s antennae went down. Deciding instead of just yelling at Dib to wake up over and over, to just..go and sit on the bed- rub his back a bit maybe? Make Dib feel a bit at ease, and help him wake up more calmly. The irken sat on the bed and looked at the human who had his back turned to the green alien. “Hey..I’m sorry if I scared you- I guess-” Zim softly said as he put his hand on Dib’s lying down back, he could feel Dib flinch. Zim then just softly rubbed the hand on Dib’s back, the human’s body was as unmoving as a rock.

Why was Zim rubbing his back? Dib wondered. Why? Did this irken want to be a bitch to him or kind? It was confusing, and annoying, and scary. All at the same time.. “You didn’t scare me.” Dib replied. “I saw you flinch.” Zim murmured, to which Dib just grumbled and nudged Zim’s hand off his back. Even if the irken’s hand was soothing, finally some calming interaction, he didn’t want it. “Just let me sleep for a little while longer.” Dib said, as Zim sighed and said “I’ve been waiting for hours Dib-thing, I need to put that PAK on you at some point. And the longer it takes, makes less time to learn how to be a irken.” “I’m not going to be a goddamn irken.” “Unless you want to be used as a slave by my Tallests I suggest just acting like you’re one.” They spoke. And after the last sentence Dib choked on a sob slightly, which made Zim immediately started rubbing his back again. “Please stop crying..” Zim said, trying to keep his voice monotone, but a bit of emotion slipped out. Dib then just started full on crying, as he curled in on himself. Zim’s antennae flicked downwards again, as he pulled his hand off Dib’s back before saying “Do you-..need a hyooman hug?” “Y-…Yeah-” Zim opened his arms, as Dib slowly sat upwards and said “But you’re not human.” Zim’s arms lowered at that, as he said “I- I know ofcourse- but I was trying to be nice.” Dib didn’t react to that, as he just pulled on his shirt which he had thrown on the floor, and then a pair of jogging pants. It was good that Zim took a few clothes from Dib when he y’know- kidnapped him.

“Well..I’ll see you in the uhh y’know- operating room.” “I’m going to eat first.” “I have a hyooman breakfast sitting in the operating room, its still warm so don’t worry.” Dib went quiet at that last sentence for a second, before turning to Zim with red looking eyes from crying “T-..Thanks I guess..” The human softly said, as Zim smiled and put up his thumb “No problem!” He was so smooth! A human gesture! Smart boy! Smarty mc smartington! Smartest little- no! Smartest TALL boy in the damn galaxy!...Okay that was enough self flattery. They sat like this on the bed for a few more seconds, Zim’s face was soon gaining a blush, a-A BLUSH?! AGH!! “I’m off! Gotta g-get everything ready!! Seeya!” Zim loudly said as he jumped off the bed and walked out of the room fastly, walking to the operating room. He pinched his fingers inbetween the bridge of his non-existent nose, he was such a clutz.

Pfft, that was- strange..Dib was so confused by this moron. He was really going to do this, eh..? “Will it..hurt..?” Dib whispered to himself, as he looked through the mirror into space. From what Zim had told Dib, tubes would slam into your spine and organs- so it definitely would..wh-what if it…what if it would kill Dib?! Oh god- he had to get out of here! He had to get the fuck out of this voot!! Zim loudly screeched out “I GOT THE EQUIPEMENT READY DIB-STINK! HURRY UP!” FUCK FUCK FUCK!! HELL NO, THIS WAS NOT FUCKIN HAPPENING! Dib was standing up straight as he paced around his room looking around for anything to use as a weapon, he saw his mirror..if he could break it- if he could break it then- then maybe..maybe he could use a glass shard to kill Zim and go back to earth, they weren’t too far away yet! He could see if his dad and Gaz made it! But..the computer definitely wouldn’t let him, nor would Gir, besides Zim’s PAK easily picked Dib up yesterday. That mirror shard would do nothing to harm the irken. “DIB COME ON, YOUR FOOD IS NOW OUT OF THE WARM-KEEPING MACHINEY THING!” Dib wanted food..but he didn’t want to leave his room- what if he got to that operating table and Zim was-..actually going to..kill Dib? C-cut him open? PULL OUT HIS ORGANS?!! “Dib.” Zim’s voice spoke out.

“Why are you pacing around?” Zim softly asked as Dib froze up, looking at Zim “I- will that thing- will that PAK thing kill me..?” Dib mumbled, as Zim scoffed and said “It didn’t kill me.” As Dib screamed out “BUT YOU’RE NOT A HUMAN!!” Thoughts of the PAK’s tubes slamming out of his body, or into the wrong organs absolutely terrified Dib to the point of hyperventilating. Which he did as soon as he said that sentence. “WHAT IF IT STABS THROUGH THE WRONG SPACES- AND THEN- K-KILLS ME?!!” Dib screamed again, as Zim walked over quickly and held Dib’s shoulders “Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Calm! Calm down, you’ll pop a vein or something. Stop doing the hyper-breathing thing!” As Dib was slightly trying to calm down he coughed, which made Zim step back quickly. Germs… “Look Dib, I made the PAK. You think I wouldn’t think about how our bodies are different?” Dib’s body shook a bit as he coughed once more, the hyperventilation felt like sandpaper in his throat “Y-you’re right..” Dib scraped out. As he then said “Do you..have water?” Dib asked as Zim nodded “By your breakfast.” Which made Dib blindly follow Zim. Well, shit.

The operating room looked clean, too clean, it smelled like straight up bleach. Disgusting. “Ahh, the stink of clean!” Zim smiled brightly before his antennae perked up and grumbled “Not clean anymore now that you walked in.” Zim turned to Dib with a chuckle, Dib sighed and looked over to a plate of food, which had apparently been placed back in a machine that looked like a microwave. “Is that-” “Your breakfast yes, the water was kept out of it, I know you like your drinks cold.” “Guess I’m not the only stalker here.” Ugh that made Zim remember how he had once yelled at Dib that he was always by Zim’s window, it was honestly kind of scary how Dib’s eyes peeked into the glass just to stare at Zim. But Zim just scoffed “Whatever, you were always a lot worse than me.” As Zim walked over to put goggles on “Just pull on the handle and the machine will stop and shove the food out.” As Dib took a second before pulling on the handle. The machine immediately whirred, as the warm color shut off, and the food was placed on a table where the water was with a robotic hand. 

Dib looked at the food a bit, it was French toast with bacon and eggs. Toast..dad- ugh! He needed to stop thinking about his family, it’d only make him anxious and depressed. As he sat down on a chair, which was obviously not from earth from how strange it looked. Zim looked over at Dib, and waved a hand “Go on, its not poisoned!” That didn’t help Dib from doubting though. Dib drank from the water, it tasted like nothing ofcourse but it helped his throat. “I don’t want to make you annoyed but..hurry up with your eating Diblet. The machinery will stop working after 5 hours-” “How long..how long will this PAK stuff take..?” Dib asked right after Zim, which Zim hummed at as he irken put a finger on his chin “From what I know it might take a few hours, you’re not irken and the machinery might be a bit- slower. Slower in connecting with you atleast. For irkens it takes about a second or two, it depends on the irken’s size.” As he then smiled when Dib ate the toast “Since you are very tall AND hyooman it will take a while longer than superior irkens”

Zim immediately stopped talking when he heard a choked sob, what the- “D-Dib?” Zim softly said Dib’s name when he saw the human crying, the toast hallway in his mouth. “Oh Irk what is it now?” Zim asked as he walked over, seeing Dib’s lip quiver when he pulled what was left of the toast out of his mouth. “I-I just- I want to go home..” Dib’s voice broke at the word home, Zim’s body froze up slightly before saying “I-..I know Dib, just calm down.” Dib shoved the plate of food on the ground as it all fell there, Zim could see Dib’s brows furrow, he was obviously not happy with how Zim was acting. Zim didn’t care, he was a stupid alien, Dib knew that.

“Agh! It took me a while to make that!” Zim hissed out, as Dib yelled at Zim “NEVER MAKE ME TOAST, EVER AGAIN!! YOU HEAR ME?!” His angry eyes looking straight into the irkens’. “O-okay, just- calm down-” Zim mumbled out as Dib went quiet for a bit, tears still staining his cheeks as Zim wanted them to be gone. Zim’s hands reached out, and went to Dib’s cheeks and eyes. Wiping away the tears “I’m- sorry?” Zim said softly as Dib was still quiet, closing his eyes whenever Zim’s fingers came too close to them. What was this alien doing? Why was Zim manipulating his feelings? “Just get that stupid equipment started please..” Dib said as he pulled Zim’s hands away, Zim nodded as he immediately ran to get everything started up, he kicked a operating table as wheels popped out, pulling it over to a light source. It could be tilted. Zim then grabbed multiple strange devices, one looked like two needles and when Zim pressed a button on the handle of the machine is sparked. “Okay that works then..” Zim mumbled to himself as he walked to grab a labcoat like outfit. Putting it on as his antennae were clicked together by a device, making it look like a ponytail hairstyle. “Finished everything, please come over and lie down on the table.” As Dib shuddered, he had been in hospitals and laboratories before..but this was incredibly scary, mostly because it wasn’t his dad doing this, and because it was equipment he knew zero about. 

Dib went to lie down though, but Zim reached out, wanting take off Dib’s boots, and shirt. “Woah woah! What the hell?!” Dib hissed out as Zim replied loudly “You don’t want pak holes in your shirt right?” which made Dib shut his mouth for a second before saying “Let me do it myself though, you’re weird.” Which made Zim pull his hands back as if he was burned “Yeah..” Zim softly said as his tied antennae went down. It was good to see Zim hurt, he kept being incredibly weird, and Zim killed his family by blowing up his planet. He deserved hearing how strange he was for once. But it still looked kind of bad, seeing Zim sad like he was a kicked puppy. Dib then started pulling off the boots and shirt, before lying onto the table. Zim kept quiet for a bit as Dib said “Well? Come on hurry it up.” There was a tiny hole in the table where a pak would usually go, as Zim said “Okay, computer activate the table for PAK experimentation!” “Wait what-” Dib’s wrists, arms and legs were then tied down by metal locks. Ofcourse. “Agh! What the-” The table then started tilting upwards slowly as it turned to a mirror, Dib could see himself and Zim right next to the table, it scared Dib quite a bit.

Zim then said “Okay lets get this started.” Grabbing the PAK as if it was a heavy box, and putting it on a extra table “What’s with the mirror?” Dib softly asked as Zim spoke “I thought you’d want to be able to see what I’m doing, I know you’re scared of me experimenting on your fragile stinky hyooman body.” As Zim turned the pak around, two holes showed on the top and bottom as Zim grumbled “We took way too long to start this, Dib-thing.” As Zim then put the electric needle tool on the holes and sparked it, which made tubes jump out of it. “W-WAIT-” Dib said loudly as he saw the sparks and the tubing. “D-Don’t put..dont put that thing on me…” Dib whimpered out as Zim chuckled “Oh come on, it wont take too long! And even if it hurts, I can just put something in your body to make you all wobbly. Heheheh! Wobblyyy..” Apparently Zim found the word wobbly and jiggly both hilarious. The way he laughed was the exact same as when Zim was talking about that santa suit, years ago. “N-No I just- can we stop? C-cant you make a backpack that looks like a PAK instead?” “What? No ofcourse not silly Diblet! Irkens are a lot smarter than your stinky species!” Dib started struggling in the metal binding. “Please! I don’t want a PAK!” “It’ll be over fast! Don’t worry!” Zim said, it really was impossible to convince the irken. Zim then flicked the zapper on as he pressed it into Dib’s back

“IT HURTS!”


End file.
